CONTENTS

WELCOME PAGE 1

GROUP INFO PAGE 1

NEXT MEETING PAGE 1

CANAL TRIP

PHOTO’S

PAGE1

BRAIN TEASERS

AND QUOTES

PAGE 2

GROUP INFO

LOST & FOUND

PAGE 2

POEMS, LETTERS PAGE 3

QUOTES & INFO PAGE 3

GROUP DETAILS

AND GROUP INFO

PAGE 4

FUTURE EVENTS

• Visit to Blackpool Lights

16th October

• Next Meeting 23rd October

• Fish & Chip Supper

25th October

• November Meeting

Wednesday 27th November

• Christmas Party

6th December

w elcome to the Autumn edition of Parkinson’s Penkridge to include December. We hope that you

have enjoyed the year’s programme so far along with your

Group Newsletter. Since the last issue we have raised money

and been on a canal trip. For which we thank the organizers

and all who supported us. Don’t forget to book your Blackpool

Lights and Fish & Chip supper places if you haven’t already

done so. As usual please assist Pam by booking events as early

as possible. So onward and upward let’s go!! Read on folks.

Parkinson's Penkridge Autumn 2013 Newsletter

WELCOME TO ISSUE TWO

Striving to support our members and carers and overcome Parkinson’s

Jenny Richardson - Support Group Organiser Pam McCauley - Treasurer

Jean Spink - Secretary Alison Heath - Correspondence Secretary

WELCOME TO ALL OUR MEMBERS AND CARERS

Tin Shake Raises £221.09 The tin shake at Tesco’s Heath

Hayes on 22nd August raised

the above amount. Well done

and thank you to all those who

arranged and supported this

event. Jenny Richardson

We are Sailing

What a lovely day we had

the day we went to Llangol-

len. Ok the driver got it

wrong and dropped us off at

the wrong wharf but what is

a couple of hundred yards

up a very steep hill between

friends. The food was good

and the weather dry. We are

all looking forward to the

next outing which is Black-

pool. Roving Reporters

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2

OCT - DEC 2013

NEXT GROUP MEETING WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER

Issue 3 Winter

This issue of the Newslet-ter will be distributed at

the Christmas Party. If you are aware of any members that will not be attending this event could you please tell Alison so

that she can arrange for a copy to be posted on to them. Thank you. Vince

“Sports Therapy”

If you fancy some social and relaxing activity per-haps you might like a spot of

Bowling.!! Please contact :-

John Morley (07957 686207)

Amersal Sports Club

Common Road

Stafford ST16 3DR

Timings 10.00 - 1200 Mon-

days & Wednesdays

All welcome .

Parkinson's Penkridge Autumn 2013 Newsletter PAGE 2

Christmas Comes But Once a Year and We Hope it Brings You All Good Cheer

BRAIN TEASER CORNER

x +

+ x +

7 + 5

÷ 5 +

+ ÷ 4

= 16

= 8

= 2

= = =

6 21 13

Please note BODMAS does not apply

All the digits from 1 - 9 are

used in this grid,

but only once. Can you work

out their posi-

tions in the grid so that each of

the different

sums works? We’ve put 2

numbers in to

help you. Do the sums left to right

and top to bot-

tom.

3 2

1 5

9 8 4

4 1 3 5

6 3 4

9 2

5 7 3

2 3 8

2 4

Do you use the National Rail Network?

If you do did you know you can get a Disabled Person’s Railcard which gives you a discount off the normal fare of around a third on most fares. The cost is currently £20 for one year or £54 for three years. Eligibility criteria apply. Please contact:- Disabled Persons Railcard Office

PO Box 11631 Laurencekirk AB30 9AA E-mail:- disability@atoc.org Tel No.08456 050525

Or if you’re over 60 with no disability you can apply for a Senior Rail Card for £30 per year or £70 for three years and get the same discounts. Apply:- National Railcards PO Box 11638 Laurencekirk

AB30 9AJ Tel No. 08448 714036 Tip :- Before buying Senior Railcard search for tickets using dis-abled card and you may get the same discount automatically!!

Antidepressants Problem: Dry mouth, Bleeding

Antidepressants can cause dry mouth because they in-hibit the molecules that activate the salivary glands. A particular type of antidepressant - the selective serotonin

re-uptake inhibitors ( SSRI’s ), which include Citalopram ( used by people with Parkinson’s ) can also make the mouth more prone to bleeding. This is because they affect levels of platelets, the cells which help the blood to clot. “So if you are on antidepressants and happen to be hav-

ing dental surgery you are likely to bleed more,” says Professor Crean. “You must tell your dentist if you are on antidepressants. He or she will then make sure they stitch the area after removing the tooth rather than just taking it out.”

Extracted from Mail on Sunday Health Page.

Christmas Quote Christmas cards were first sold in England in 1843. Al-

though people had exchanged pictures decorated with trees and hand written seasonal greetings for many years before. Submitted by Jenny Richardson

LOST On the coach trip to Llangollen a White Radley

purse containing approximately £15 was lost on the coach. If anyone has found it or saw it on the coach please contact Pam McGauley. Thank you.

Letters to the Editor Please feel free to submit

items you’d like to see pub-lished or any feedback on current content to me. My contact details are at the bottom of page 4. Thanks.

Reminders

Don’t forget to book for Blackpool Lights on 16th October and your Fish & Chip supper on the 25th October if you haven’t already confirmed. Thank you.

Celebrities The following celebs have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Singer

Linda Ronstadt who can no longer sing because of Parkinson’s also actor Bob Hoskins and just this week Billy Connolly the “Big Yin” diagnosed at his home in New York. I’m sure we wish them all the best for the future.

“Poppy Day”. Please give generously for those that gave the most

for us and buy a poppy. Thank you very much. Vince.

Parkinson's Penkridge Autumn 2013 Newsletter PAGE 3

Parkinson's Penkridge Autumn 2013 Newsletter

Are You Dancing ?

Picture the scene, Sunday morning, sun shining ( honestly it was ) we had got a cup of coffee and the papers

to get through before we went out for lunch. My eye was

caught by one word Parkinson’s. It seems to me that since I

have been diagnosed as unlucky enough to have this awful

disease my brain has been retuned to picking out any infor-

mation that involves the “P” word. So, I read the article

with interest, especially as I’d recently had an appointment

with my consultant, who advised me and my significant

other to start dancing!!

The article started with a bold statement! “Dancing

the Tango or an Irish jig may improve your symptoms”

Some of you may have read the quite lengthy article, which

appeared in the Mail on Sunday on 11th August 2013.

Jenny Richardson had also seen the same article. Then I

was looking through the Parkinson Summer 2013 magazine

and yes you have guessed it, two pages on dancing and

movement. For me I think we should all go out and get

some sequins and perhaps we should have a vote to have a

dance class. All those in favour raise a leg !!

Submitted by The Roving Reporters

Thank Goodness I Married A Nurse!!

1. Have I had all my pills today? I’m never really sure. In fact I can’t remember

what it is they’re trying to cure. 2. There’s one for high blood pressure, A diuretic to make me pee. And for my diabetes

each day I must take three. 3. There are two I take together though why it isn’t clear. One’s for constipation,

The other’s for diarrhoea. 4. Some stuff for a painful shoulder, I have to rub that in, And an appetite suppressant which helps to keep me thin.

5. Then there are two I have to take when my chest feels sore and tight. And don’t forget the pill or two which helps me sleep at night.

6. Two pink ones will ease my joints after active recreation,

Plus a little black pill that I wash down to improve my circulation. 7. I have something for hair loss to stop me going bald.

And a jolly good pill for memory loss But I’ve forgotten what it’s called. 8. So I never know what I have to take or even when to take it. Like the green stuff in the bottle,

I always forget to shake it. 9. You’d think that all these things I take would stop me feeling ill. But I still get motion sickness

even when I’m standing still. 10. So I thank god I married an SRN who knows the rules to follow. She says “open your mouth” pops everything in

then tells me when to swallow. Submitted by Marion Davis

Charity begins at ?

I can imagine that you are all finishing the sentence for me. Just like a TV quiz show where we all know the answer. My

feelings towards people shaking a tin at me were that they were

intruding in to my personal space. That was before I volun-

teered to take part in the Tesco tin shake. I met so many really

lovely people who literally emptied their purses. There were

others though that looked at us like we had stepped in some-

thing horrid. This is where I have to put my hand up and admit

to being guilty of avoiding at any excuse to put money in the

tin. But I now declare that I will never again avoid putting a

donation in the tin. A penny is better than nothing. My name

will be first on the list for the next collection.

Submitted by Ann Daubney

Smiling

Smiling is infectious

You catch it like the ‘flu

When someone smiled at me today

I started smiling too.

I walked around the corner

And someone saw me grin,

When he smiled, I realised

I had passed it on to him

I thought about the smile

And then realised its worth

A single smile like mine

Could travel round the earth

So, if you feel a smile begin

Don’t leave it undetected

Start an epidemic quick

And get the world infected!

Submitted by Pam McGauley

Wicked Wit

“Courage is what it takes to stand and speak, cour-

age is also what it takes to sit down and listen” Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965 ) Jenny

Must Go Dinners

On Friday evenings, Canadians in Nova Scotia traditionally enjoy

must go dinners. Must go dinners are made from all the leftovers in the fridge. The results are creative and the practice ensures no waste. Try it yourself!! Jenny

Parkinson's Penkridge Autumn 2013 Newsletter

All content correct at time of printing 24th. September 2013 Editor aandv1@hotmail.co.uk or 01543 578311

PAGE 4

Group Contact Details Support Group Organiser - Jenny Richardson Tel. No. 01785 712008 E-mail richardson612@btinternet.com

Treasurer - Pam McGauley Tel. No. 01785 840874 E-mail nickbed@tiscali.co.uk Secretary - Jean Spink

E-mail jeanspink123@btinternet.com Group Welfare Secretary - Sheila Shakespeare Tel. No. 01543 503979

Correspondence Secretary - Alison Heath E-mail alisonheath394@btinternet.com Information & Support Worker - Marion Davis Tel:- 08442 259816 or 0207 963 9816 E- mail mdavis@parkinsons.org.uk

Up to date information sheets on Parkinson’s symptoms, drugs etc.

Act as an advocate on your behalf liaising with other professionals such as consultants, the nurses, GP’s or social services etc. Assist with benefits claims e.g. DLA AA ESA Carers allowance.

Housing benefits. Council tax benefits. Re-housing issues. Assist with applications for a blue badge. Driving booklet, DVLA. Refer people for the life line pendant for people that live alone or the more vulnerable people.

Tell people about the voluntary car scheme Jobs around the home that need doing. I refer to either AGE UK for smaller jobs or trader register for bigger jobs.

Wiltshire farm foods & ICARE who deliver hot meals. The multi disciplinary teams such as the OT for aids and equipment

Dietician, Salt, Continence service. Carer’s issues. I refer to social services for care packages or respite and day care. Let people know about our local groups they can attend.

Refer to CASS for help with grants for carers to take a break etc. Crossroads emergency support service

Parkinson’s UK , Local groups

Parkinson’s Information & Help

Marion Davis can supply information on or help with the subjects printed on the right hand side of page. This list is probably not exhaustive so please liaise with her if you have a query. Her details are

below. If you use phone number in red it’s possibly cheaper. Vince

Finally May all the Groups Officers wish everybody a very

Very Merry Christmas